The Lower Mount Bethel Sandt’s Eddy Fire Company is working with the Board of Supervisors in implementing a 1 mill Fire Tax which would be used for truck purchases and maintenance, equipment, training, etc. The tax can’t be used for our everyday expenses or monthly utility bills. With the price of trucks and equipment skyrocketing, we need to start saving now for our future vehicle replacements. 

Some of our equipment has already exceeded its life span or will soon exceed its life span according to the N.F.P.A standards which states a life span of 15 years for trucks and air packs, and 10 years for turn out gear. Our current tanker is a 2003 and it is in pretty good shape but is starting to show its age and will need to be replaced within the next 5 to 8 years. The 2012 pumper will need to be replaced in about 10 years. We’re pushing the limits on these trucks because we cannot afford to replace them every 15 years. Since we have them serviced yearly and they do not give us any major problems and are safe for use, we trust them to be dependable to respond to your emergency. 

The current price to replace the tanker and pumper is about 1 million dollars each, but the prices appear to have almost doubled in the last 2 years. We need to start saving now so we have a sizable down payment, because if we must borrow the whole amount, we cannot afford the payments.

In addition, we have other equipment that is beginning to show its age. Below is an inventory and description of our other current equipment to detail our need for the fire tax.

• Our current Rescue Boat is a 2000 and has been welded and fixed several times already as we are trying to keep it as long as possible.

• The Air System was bought in 1993. It is still in service and is in decent shape, but some of the parts are becoming more difficult to find.  The current replacement cost for the Air System is approximately $100,000.

• Our turnout gear was updated 2 years ago utilizing the Relief Association funds.

• The air packs were replaced 4 years ago through a grant. The cost was $156,000 but we had to put 10% towards the purchase. They will need to be replaced in 11 years.

• It currently costs about $20,000 to suit up a firefighter with personal protective equipment.

• We’re currently working with the township to replace our Quick Response Service (QRS)/utility truck and the Brush truck through a grant.

• Our air/cascade truck is a 2005 and we’re hoping to keep that going as long as possible as it is not affected by the N.F.P.A standard.

• We also applied for a grant for our hydraulic rescue tools as they are 18 years old. The cost to upgrade them to battery operated is $78,000 and we will have to pay 10% towards their cost if we receive the grant.

Grants for truck replacement are very hard to get unless it is a very old one or it has a lot of problems. While grants are great, and we apply for as many as we can, there is no guarantee of receiving one. This is one reason why we need to have a consistent source of funding in place.  In addition, the delivery of new trucks is now 3 years out once ordered and is another reason we need to start saving now and have a constant budget amount to work with. The cost to maintain fire services is very expensive, even with volunteers. So, while the fire tax will help significantly, we will still need to do our normal fundraising activities to stay in business.

We currently run an average of 250 calls a year, which consist of fires, accidents, rescues, weather related calls and QRS calls where we stabilize advanced life support (ALS) patients until an ambulance arrives.  A 1 mill fire tax would generate about $103,000 a year which would give the volunteer fire company a good source for equipment down payments and money to make the payments, while also allowing us to save for the next expense.